Semicolons
The Semicolon is an internal punctuation mark used in many languages, including: English, Arabic, Greek, and the Romance languages. Semicolons are also widely used in computer programming and mathematics. The modern semicolon has been used in the English language since the 15th. century. Origin & History Prior to the 17th century, standardized punctuation in the English language was minimal and loose. An increase in block printing between 1300-1400 c.e. and the invention of Guttenburg's movable-type printing press in 1450 c.e. gave rise to an increased availablilty of the written word. Although the printed English language became more accessable, the language was far from stream-line. At this time, punctuation style and placement was up to the discretion of the printer himself. Originally, punctuation such as periods, commas, and semicolons were used not as elements of structure or syntax, but rather placed as markers to signal different length pauses intended for the reader or orator. The first English-language book printer in Europe, William Claxton, used only three punctuation marks: the stroke (/) for making word groups, the colon (:) for making distinct pauses, and the period (.) for ending sentences and also for brief pauses.Watkins, Thayer. History of the Punctuation of English Writing. San Jose State University. Web. 1 March 2014. http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/punctuation.htm To avoid ambiguity in Claxton's punctuation techniques, Tyndale implimented a different approach in his Gospels (1535); the comma replaced the stroke and semicolons appeared soon after. The transition from pause punctuation to our modern syntactical punctuation occurred over a period of time between the 15th. and 17th. centuries. Although authors had commonly used syntactical punctuation since the early 1600's, the defining moment in this transition is in Ben Jonson's English Grammar; ''Jonson formally suggests that syntactical punctuation be standard and replace the medieval style of pause punctuation.''Punctuation in English Since 1600. Encyclopedia Brittanica, Inc. 1995-1998. Web. 1 March 2014. http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~wilkins/writing/Resources/essays/punctuation_hist.html Usage & Rules Semicolons are troubling, misunderstood, misused, and plain avoided by amateur and professional writers alike. Because of their similarities, many authors debate and wrestle with the appropriate choice between a comma and a semicolon in certain circumstances; as displayed in Jane Straus's third rule, in some sentences semicolons and commas can be interchangeable. According to Jane Straus, author of The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation, semicolon placement, confusion, mystery, and controversy can be resolved by following these five simple rules: Rule 1: Use a semicolon between two independent sentences where the conjunction has been left out.Straus, Jane. GrammarBook.com. Jane Straus/GrammarBook.com. 2014. Web. 2 March 2014. https://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/semicolons.asp :::: Bring your car to my house on Saturday; I will look at it then. Rule 2: 'It is customary to use a semicolon before introductory words such as ''namely, however, therefore, that is, i.e., for example, e.g., ''or ''for instance when they introduce a list following a complete sentence. A comma after the introductory word is also necessary. :::: My cousin's wedding is on the same day as the Michigan vs. Ohio State footbal game; therefore, the bride and groom will recieve my gift in the mail. '''Rule 3: Use either a semicolon or a comma before introductory words such as namely, however, therefore, that is, i.e., for example, e.g., ''or ''for instance when they introduce a list following a complete sentence. A comma after the introductory word is also necessary. :::: Please bring appropriate clothing for cold weather and snow; for example, mittens, a stocking cap, long underwear, thick socks, and tall boots. :::: Please bring appropriate clothing for cold weather and snow, for example, mittens, a stocking cap, long underwear, thick socks, and tall boots. Rule 4: Use semicolons to seperate units of a series when one or more of the units contain commas. :::: The Detroit Tigers's road trip in March will take them to Baltimore, Maryland; Boston, Massachusetts; and Cleveland, Ohio. '' '''Rule 5:' Use a semicolon between two sentences joined by a coordinating conjunction when one or more commas appear in the first sentence. :::: When Tom takes his wife, Suzy, to the movies on Saturday nights, he always buys her a box of Jujyfruits; and he will keep that tradition alive as long as they are married. See Also *Commas *Conjunction *Grammar *Interjection *Prepositions *Punctuation References